Brushstrokes go into battle in novel bid to 'save' famous waterfall

WHEN spending a summer in northwest Wales, 19th-century artist David Cox travelled to paint a spectacular but less-celebrated waterfall near Ffestiniog in Eryri (Snowdonia).

- ANDREW FORGRAVE

His watercolour, now in the British Museum, London, was to become regarded as the iconic view of Rhaeadr y Cwm, a tumble of water now mired in a battle between a farming family and seven conservation groups.

For more than three decades the waterfall has been considered a potential site for a small-scale hydroelectric scheme. The latest proposal, submitted last year by three local farming brothers, has run into opposition from a coalition of concerned organisations.

With nearly 70% of its water due to be diverted through pipes, critics argue that one of the national park's "most striking waterfalls" risks losing its distinctive gorge habitats. These are home to rare, damp-loving mosses and liverwort.